A January trip saw Joel Ringma, Terrace, B.C., pastor; James Vanderlaan, director of advancement for Resonate Global Mission; and Fred Reitsma, a member of Smithers (B.C.) Christian Reformed Church, attend and support a pastors’ conference in Kabala, Sierra Leone. It was a reunion of sorts for two attendees previously instructed by Ringma.
The North American contingent was joined by retired CRCNA pastor Tom Dykman, already in Sierra Leone. Host Rev. Moses Jawara, president of the Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone, guided and accompanied the group, which was visiting through Resonate’s volunteer Witness Trips program.
Jarawa was an ecumenical guest at Synod 2025 of the CRCNA in Ancaster, Ont. In his address he mentioned the urgent need for pastoral and leadership training for the fast-growing Christian Reformed denomination. World Renew and Resonate have been partnering in Sierra Leone for decades. The country birthed its first Christian Reformed Church in 2007. Since then there are over 40 churches in Kabala, Freetown, and in villages throughout the countryside.
The annual January conference gathers pastors from a wide geographical area separated by limited access and poor roads. The fellowship offered by the conference supports camaraderie and attends to the loneliness experienced in ministry, but the main focus, and what draws participants, is the scriptural education.
This year Dykman shared the relevance of the book of Jonah and its message of calling, obedience, and forgiveness. Ringma taught from Luke 24 and the story of the road to Emmaus, framing workshops around a theme of “Walking Together with the Risen Christ.” More than 40 pastors and evangelists attended.
Ringma had last been to Sierra Leone 12 years ago, in the village of Foria, as part of Timothy Leadership Training (a mission-equipping ministry that is now part of Resonate). Two young men, John Marah and Jeremiah Sesay, attended that training and were eager to meet Ringma again at this conference. “It was super emotional for me,” said Ringma. “They made a point of coming back and thanking me and letting me know that they are now pastors leading their own congregations.” Ringma has made four trips to Sierra Leone in total, first in 2009 with a team of British Columbia Christian Reformed churches, and again in 2012 for five months of service with his family, while on sabbatical from Terrace CRC.
The North American visitors met with the board of directors of the CRC-SL and its partner group Christian Extension Services. The team participated in the inaugural celebration of two cohorts of graduates of the CRC-SL Vocational Institute. They visited ministry sites and Christian schools in urban, rural, and remote locations. The CRC-SL supports 17 Christian schools, the first established in Kabala in 2007, with over a total of 1800 students.
Bulkley Valley Christian School in Smithers, B.C., partners with an emerging school in the village of Nanfayie, one of several ways the Smithers CRC community supports various aspects of the ministries in Sierra Leone. Reitsma, who hadn’t visited the region previously, said, “When I heard about this trip, I knew God was calling me to join and participate.”
The trip ended with the timely delivery of a Toyota Landcruiser purchased for the CRC-SL through fundraising from Resonate supporters. “Effective ministry in Sierra Leone requires reliable transportation,” Vanderlaan said.